This Is How It Happened
by lissianne
Summary: A closer look into Sharon's feelings about Andy staying at her condo. Inspired by the scene where Andy was asleep on the sofa.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing of Major Crimes. I only borrow the characters from time to time.

This Is How It Happened

She watched him sleeping on the sofa. The angel throw, a Christmas gift from Emily, was snug around him. He had a soft snore. His breath puffed through his lips in perfect rhythm.

Sharon tilted her head and smiled.

He was restless last night. As luck would have it, Rusty stayed with a friend, allowing him to wonder the condo and take refuge on the sofa. Ever the considerate guest, he kept the television barely audible as not to disturb her.

Sharon took note of the near silent TV and the open book on the coffee table. He surely knew he could wake her if he needed anything…if he needed her. She would have sat on the couch with him. He could have rested his head in her lap while she stroked his forehead and gently combed her fingers through his silver hair. They could have talked about their current case, or the Dodgers, or nothing at all. He should have woke her. Could, would, should, she sighed. How many times did regret give power to those words?

This isn't what she expected. It wasn't what she planned. Like the bloom of a flower emerging from a winter's sleep, it quietly blossomed. She found the fragrance and color it brought to her life exhilarating. It was her chance to write a new ending to a worn out chapter.

When did this happen? Sharon wondered. This, not being him asleep on her sofa, living in her home, but this, her not wanting him to leave, ever.

The sound of Rusty unlocking the door jolted her back into the now. She put her finger to her lips, "shhh."

She sat on the coffee table in front of him as he rustled in between sleep and awake.

Through sleepy eyes and with a crooked grin, Andy whispered, "good morning Sunshine," as he reached for her hand.

Then she knew. This is how it happened.

Before she had a chance to answer he added, "Were you checking to see if I was still breathing?"

"Andy! Heavens no," she said with an impish grin. "I could hear you 'breathing' down the hallway."

He shrugged, "the kid does it all of the time. I'm kind of used to it now."

She gave him a quick kiss and went to pour coffee for the two of them. Rusty was eating a bowl of cereal at the dining room table too engrossed in his laptop to notice them.

Andy took a sip of coffee and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Her green eyes dark with worry.

"Just a little headache," he quickly added, "probably slept wrong."

"You wouldn't lie to me would you?"

"Of course he wouldn't lie, he's a police officer," Rusty chimed in from behind her.

As Andy turned, he winced in pain, "thanks Kid."

Sharon looked between the two of them, as her hand went instinctively to her stomach as if to calm the anxiety rising up inside.

"You look serious," he said as he studied her expression. "Am I wearing out my welcome?"

Sharon sat down next to him and took his hand. "Quite the opposite, there's something I want, no _need_ , to tell you."

"Oh?"

"Andy, I…"

He drew a sharp breath as his eyes tightly closed. He gave her hand a tight squeeze, one that said remember my touch forever. "Sharon, I .." he rasped as slumped against her.

"Andy…" she screamed in a voice she was sure wasn't her own.


	2. Chapter 2 What Love Is

I own nothing of Major Crimes. I only borrow the characters from time to time.

This Is How It Happened: Part Two "What Love Is"

A sliver of light peeked through the loosely drawn drapes. The room was illuminated only by the distant streetlights and flashing monitors.

 _I sit by his bed. I hold his hand. I'm not sure if he knows I am here. I find myself staring at the beeping monitors as if to will them to continue their rhythmic beat._

 _It's only been a few hours, a few hours of hanging on to every heartbeat and every breath._

Lt Provenza peeked his head in the room, "Any change?"

"No, not yet," Sharon felt safe with the status quo. "He's drifting in and out." Lt Provenza pulled a chair beside her.

"The doctor says the surgery went well and he'll be fine. They don't know if he'll have any deficits, but in time he'll have a full recovery." She let out a deep sigh.

Provenza took her hand in his. "He's tough," was all he could manage to say.

"I keep thinking…" she closed her eyes and shook her head; "I wish I could have loved him longer. I wish he could have loved me longer. We wasted so much time." She whispered to herself, "I'm still wasting time."

"All in due time." He patted her hand, "all in due time."

Unaware she had spoken out loud, she was taken slightly aback at his response. When their eyes met, she knew he understood. She tried to fight back the tears, but succumbed to their urgency.

He let go of her hand and put his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder. For the first time since Andy's accident, she sobbed uncontrollably.

She was finally just Sharon. She left Captain Raydor behind. The captain who stood stoically amidst the uncertainty of Andy's injuries. The captain who shouted orders while trying to remind herself to breathe. The captain who held Sharon at bay.

He handed her his handkerchief. She dried her eyes and the sobs subsided.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about the day of the accident. You know Andy's initial dust up with the car, as he called it." She said in staccato breaths.

"Oh," Provenza replied not wanting to make eye contact.

"I wanted to thank you," Sharon said warmly. "You kept me together that afternoon."

When she first heard, she wanted to drop everything and run to the hospital. She wanted to be Sharon and be by his side. Unfortunately, the Captain was needed on the case. Separating the two was more of a challenge than she expected. If it hadn't been for her second in command, she wasn't sure she would have succeeded.

Provenza discounted his contribution to her single mindedness in closing the case. "It was all you," he said. "Don't ever doubt it."

"Don't think for a minute I didn't know you were hiding something from me." Provenza shifted uneasily in his seat. "Whatever it was, I suppose you had your reasons," she shrugged. "I have a feeling it wasn't the first time you've hidden something…or the last."

Provenza unconsciously put his hand in his jacket pocket; fingering the letter Flynn had given him before surgery. He wished he could give it to her and end their endless overthinking and hesitation.

As Andy stirred, Sharon went to his bedside and covered his hand with hers. "I've been by your side. I held your hand while you held my heart. I prayed countless prayers. I won't let go. I won't. Not ever," she whispered.

With sleepy eyes and a faint smile, Andy mumbled, "I love you." The words came tumbling out without thought or hesitation. He felt like he had knocked on death's door thankful to be unwelcome and turned away. He was in a sleepy state of mind, but his heart was fully awake and begging to be heard.

Provenza met Rusty in the doorway and ushered him to the hallway. "I think they need some privacy."

"I'm glad he's going to be alright, and I like Lt Flynn okay. But…" Rusty shook his head. "What if once he wins her over, he becomes an asshole?"

"He's already an asshole," Provenza shrugged, "and I think he's already won her over."

"You know what I mean. My mom, my other mom…her boyfriends would suck up…and then…" Rusty's eyes began to tear. "I don't know anything about real relationships. I don't even know what love is."

Sharon was sitting on the edge of Andy's bed. Muffled voices and laughter wafted into the hallway. She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss as he stroked her face. He reached for her hand and held it to his heart.

Provenza patted Rusty's shoulder and nodded toward Andy and Sharon.

"Take a look. That, son, is what love is."

~~The End~~


End file.
